Who’s Ready for Round Two?
I made the mistake recently of going to the New York City Marathon website. What’s at the very top of the page, one of the first things you see? The countdown clock. Right there.
It’s not like I don’t know the race is coming. I’ve put in months of training, and at least 50 of my current patients are running the race (and that’s just me; we’ve got 6 PTs who are all treating runners training for New York!). But there’s something about that countdown clock that gets me.
3 days, 00h, 29m, 34s.
Deep breath.
At this point, you can’t help but reflect back on where we were just one year ago. I was giddy with excitement, having trained hard for New York, what was to be my very first full marathon. I was ready. When NYRR definitively made the decision to cancel the race, it left a lot of runners—including myself—devastated. It was for very good reason, don’t get me wrong, but it was still hard.
Whether you jumped into another race or decided to scratch the training altogether and call it a year, I think most of us still felt unsatisfied. Things just hadn’t gone the way they were supposed to, and that was really hard to grasp at the time.
Now, with the marathon so close we can practically taste it, I am finally feeling that excitement again. It certainly hasn’t been an easy training season, because don’t you almost feel like it’s been two years in the making? I certainly do. But it has finally set in that we are actually going to do this race. Yes, yes we are! Everyone’s hard work is going to pay off, and crossing that finish line will ultimately give us the satisfaction we have been waiting for.
The two years have been worth it, because as most people know, not much compares to running through the streets of New York City on Marathon Sunday.
From all of us at Finish Line Physical Therapy, GOOD LUCK! With so many of our patients running this race, we are fully invested in your success. We’re nervous and excited and eager to hear all of your stories after you cross the finish line, and we’ll be out on the course cheering you on.
Especially for those doing it for the first time, I hope that the New York City Marathon is everything that you want it to be. Take in the excitement and the energy from the crowds, enjoy climbing all of those fun bridges, and give it your all to finish strong in Central Park. More than anything, have fun and run with a smile on your face!
Are you wearing Finish Line PT gear for the race on Sunday? Send us a pic so we can post in online and include it in our newsletter! And even if you aren’t, still send us pictures of you crossing the finish line!
Brynn Fessette has been a physical therapist at Finish Line PT since 2010. She graduated from Ithaca College, where she was a member of the varsity women’s basketball team throughout college. She’s a converted runner, having completed the 2012 Philadelphia Marathon and many half-marathons. Read her full bio.
